In the known art pointing devices are utilized in connection with computers, video game controls, hand held remote controls, web TV controls, consumer electronic controls, industrial controllers, medical equipment, automotive equipment and other similar applications. With such pointing devices, the user is allowed to readily control the speed and directional input and make selections within a particular application. It is the objective of such pointing devices to provide an inexpensive, compact, precise and effortless means of control in an application and minimize fatigue and the amount of interrupted action required of the operator. The pointing devices of the known art have not been able to effectively fulfill these objectives without concessions, as is illustrated with regard to the representative devices of the known art described hereafter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,272 to Cecchi et al, a joystick controller utilizing a sliding contact on resistive and conductive regions that are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the center of the axis of movement is disclosed. The drawback to this method of creating an output that may be interpreted into speed and direction, is that operational contact results in abrasion of the resistive and conductive regions as well as requiring many components to accomplish the variable resistive output.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,843 to Date et al, a pivoting digital only pointing device that makes contact in the direction of a direct axis is disclosed. Date teaches the use of a single speed and eight directions. Date does not teach the use of resistive regions for variable speeds and increased variability of direction. The resultant drawback being that the Date device is limited in variability of speed and direction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,003 to Hsieh, a pivoting pad, digital only, pointing device that makes contact in the direction of a direct axis is disclosed. Hsieh also teaches the use of parallel conductive digital traces that extend perpendicularly from the center. The resultant drawback being that the Hsieh device is limited in its number of digital contacts due to congestion; thus, it is impractical to provide a device having a greatly variable number of speeds and directions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,206 to Wu, the use of conductive rubber and membrane switches in a digital fashion to supply speed and directional output is disclosed. The Wu device is therefore limited to providing a small number of speeds.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,913 to Pine et al, the use of a solid conductive curved disc and that a single resistor can be contacted to affect a change in resistance is disclose. The drawback to the Pine device being that, Pine does not anticipate the use of multiple resistors for pointing or the use of just a segment of the conductive disc to minimize costs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,309 to DeVolpi the use of a continuous curved disc that pivots on a substrate that has resistive and conductive elements completely covering or surrounding the center of a printed circuit board in a continuous 360 degree area is disclosed. The drawbacks to the DeVolpi device being that directions other than the true axis are hard to control for infinite controlled proportional resolution due to the footprint of the conductive rubber disc; and truly consistent varied angles cannot be achieved. Further, the solid conductive curved disc is the most expensive component of the disclosed technology.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,557 to Stokes et al, a force-sensitive variable resistor that operates using triangulation is disclosed. The drawback to this method of providing a speed and direction output is that a polymer force-sensitive material is utilized, and the inherent properties of such a material result in having to apply excessive force to get an increased speed output, which in extended use can cause fatigue in the user.
Further, in the known pointing devices, such as joysticks, trackballs, computer mice and the like, the integration of selection means with the input element utilized to control speed and directional vectors, is a limiting factor in the miniaturization of the pointing device. In typical joysticks where size in application is not a concern, a means to make a selection is often provided by the placement of one or more switch buttons upon the handle of the joystick. As the size of the joystick is miniaturized, such as with the placement of the joystick within a computer keyboard, or where the handle is removed, switches placed upon the handle are no longer feasible so that to provide a selection means, an additional input element for making selections, separated from speed and directional input element is necessary, resulting in additional effort and fatigue in the operator.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved multi speed multi direction analog pad pointing device incorporating selection means without the concessions made in known art, which can be easily assembled in a minimum number of manufacturing steps, and which is not dependent on precise manufacturing tolerances to achieve accurate and fine resolution in use, thereby lending itself to mass production and assembly with consistent quality at a cost comparable to a conventional pointing device. It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate a means for selecting an action and means to ensure positive contact and prevent slippage so that accurate speed and directional control can be maintained and actions can be selected through the same control element, thereby reducing the number of interrupted actions required in operation while allowing fine resolution and variability of speed and directional output to be obtained.